Aim to be perfect

Olympic wrestler says it's the only way to become excellent

Olympic wrestler says it's the only way to become excellent

February 03, 2006|RUSTY NIXON Tribune Correspondent

PLYMOUTH -- It's not often one gets an opportunity to train with an Olympian. That's the opportunity that was afforded to a gym full of Plymouth wrestlers on Tuesday afternoon. Jim Gruenwald, two-time Olympic wrestling team member and assistant coach of Greco Roman Wrestling at the U.S. Olympic Education Center, put on a clinic at Plymouth High School. Gruenwald spent over two hours with Plymouth wrestlers from elementary to high school age, showing techniques and moves that have been the building blocks of his success as an athlete and a coach. But his message was as much about life as it was about wrestling. "You have to aim for perfection," Gruenwald encouraged the young athletes. "That way you can achieve excellence. You will never be perfect, but if you set the bar that high you can be excellent." He was in Plymouth as part of a weeklong series of camps he's holding in the area, in conjunction with a speaking appearance at Community Gospel Church in Bremen on Super Bowl Sunday. A native of Milwaukee, he wrestled in the 132-pound class on the U.S. Olympic team in both 2000 and 2004. He's a graduate of Maranatha Bible College in Watertown, Wis. Gruenwald's passion for wrestling is as great as his passion to teach and help young men in pursuit of their dreams. After spending nearly two hours of mat time with all the athletes assembled, the two-time Pan-Am and national champ took his message of excellence a step further with a short closing talk. "In every decision you make, make it so as everyone who loves you is proud," he said. "You have to ask yourself, 'Is this going to make me a better person, a better athlete, a better son?'" The Olympian's drive for teaching is motivated by a need to give back something to the sport that has meant so much to him over the years. "Over the past 25 years of my life, a lot of good men have spent a lot of time with me helping me get where I am," he said after the clinic. "How wrong would it be if I didn't try to give some of that back?" One person who appreciates Gruenwald's efforts is Plymouth wrestling coach Bob Read, himself an Indiana Hall of Famer. "He's not just an Olympian, he's a two-time Olympian," Read said. "He's somebody who it's important to hear what he has to say. He's proof to our kids that if you set your standards higher you can achieve at a high level if you do things right." It is apparent wrestling has been more than just a sport for Gruenwald. Taking the lessons he has learned on the mat into his life is a big part of what he wants to teach. "Seeing somebody learn something new they can use on the mat is very rewarding," he said. "But being able to share some of the things I believe is very important to me. "Making right choices is the most important thing for students to learn. "My message is about character. Some people wouldn't like me bringing my faith into it, but that's a part of me I can't separate. They can disagree with that, but I don't think anybody can disagree with the need to make right choices." With his clinics, Gruenwald also has the unique ability to get a good look at the future of the sport he loves in different stops around the country. "Sometimes I think wrestling is sort of the unwanted stepchild of American sports," he laughed. "But America needs wrestling. We need it for what it teaches. You can be tough, but still compassionate. I think a man needs to be both or you can't be a whole man."